A model court on Wednesday sentenced three accused, including two policemen, to life imprisonment in a drug trafficking case.
Ali Raza, Shahid Khan and Khan Zaman were found guilty of smuggling 18.4 kilogrammes of hashish in a car from Balochistan to Karachi in April last year. Additional Sessions Judge Ameeruddin of the Model Criminal Trial Court (West) ordered the convicts to pay a fine of Rs100,000 each or undergo additional six months of simple imprisonment on default.
He extended the benefit of Section 382-B of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to the convicts, under which their detention period since their arrest would be counted towards their jail term.
"When police officials commit an offense, the gravity of their transgression is significantly magnified compared to that of ordinary citizens," the judge noted in his detailed verdict.
"Entrusted with the responsibility to uphold the law, protect citizens, and maintain public order, these officials wield considerable authority and influence. A breach of this trust not only tarnishes the integrity of the individual officers involved but also undermines public confidence in the entire law enforcement system."
He said, "The expectations of ethical conduct and accountability are elevated for those in positions of power, and their actions set a precedent for societal norms. Therefore, when police officials engage in criminal activity, it constitutes a profound betrayal of public trust and a severe violation of their duty, necessitating stringent scrutiny and consequences. The involvement of more than one official compounds the issue, suggesting organised crime with precise planning, thus demanding comprehensive and more severe scrutiny and consequences. In this case, two police officials and a private individual were involved in transporting of charas in a car."
According to state prosecutor Muhammad Tahir Khan, on April 1, 2023, a Mochko police party was on patrol when SIP Khan Nawaz received intelligence information that narcotics was being transported in a car from Hub Chowki to Karachi for sale purposes. Acting on this tip-off, the police team set up a checkpoint on Hub River Road, he said, adding that the car was subsequently intercepted and during its search, 15 packets of hashish, weighing 18.4 kilogrammes, and a pistol were found in secret compartments of the vehicle.
Raza and Shahid were posted in the Quetta police. However, the accused had claimed innocence during the trial, stating that they were falsely implicated in the case. An FIR was lodged at the Mochko police station under Section 6/9 of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act 2022.